XCom Chronicles
by Fast Chaos
Summary: X-Com, made up of the best Special Forces units from all over the world. Their mission is to intercept, destroy, and recover all alien artifacts and repel all incursions to humanity. And find out their plans and stop them before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**New Arrivals**

**13:15 Hours, January 1, 1999 (Military Calendar)/ Fort Halo, Location Sicily.**

Evelyn Bradley steps up to the exit ramp of the Skyranger only to be blinded by the massive white lights that dot the top of the hanger. She brings her hand to her eyes to shield them from the blinding illumination. Slowly they adjust and she lowers her hand down to the pockets of her USMC dress blues only to find a frantic number of personal running around with crates all over the hanger. She bends over and picks up her big gray duffle bag as she steps down the ramp along with seven other soldiers. After walking across the landing pad she is met by a man wearing a black military dress uniform. He was old. He had neatly trimmed white hair and worry lines extending from the creases of his eyes. He looks them over with an inspective gaze. Sharply he goes to the position of attention and shouts. "Squad, fall in!" Instinctively she drops her bag and falls into the small eight man formation as fast as she can. She quickly dress and covers down with the rest of the row. She averts her eyes forward keeping a strong military bearing, not letting a single thing phase her expressionless face. The man paced back and forth and sized them up, she could not make out with her peripherals what the man's rank insignia was, never has she seen anything like it before. It appeared to be a circle with an X in the middle with two thorns protruding out the side with a large pillar sticking out of the top crossing what appeared to be a sun. Below the rank the word Colonel was displayed.

"Welcome to X-Com's home base Fort Halo. You have all been selected from your respective branches and countries for this opportunity because you all the best, the elite." He pauses as he looks over to a man by the door wearing the same uniform as him. The other man holds his thumb up and the Colonel nods. "My name is Colonel James Stacker. I am your new commanding officer. You will be taken to the debriefing room now where the Commander will speak with you." He goes back to the position of attention. "Soldiers fall out and fall in on the door! Go!" He shouts at the top of his lungs. Evelyn and the rest of the soldiers run to the door as fast as their restricting dress blues will allow, leaving their bags on the cold cement.

The air inside the briefing room was ice cold. It was dark with walls made of mahogany paneling. The floor was almost a silk rug and the chairs were extremely soft. She looked down the table to see the rest of the soldiers, the darkness made it hard to make out figures but she could tell that they were all very tan or dark skinned like herself. Suddenly Colonel Stacker walks in and snaps to attention.

"Room, ten-hut!" He shouts with gusto as the eight man squad stands up at attention. An old soldier of man walks in with a noticeable limp. He walks over to his chair and pulls it out.

"As you were." The man orders with a gruff battle hardened voice. Everyone takes a seat at the table. The Colonel starts handing out folders to each of them. She takes her folder and notices that each one has the words CLASSIFIED and TOP SECRET stamped on it in red ink. Evelyn swallowed her spit for second. _What have I gotten myself into?_ She looks over at the old man. The badge on his arm was simpler then the Colonels but a lot more terrifying. It was simply a skull with crossed bones behind it, biting into a circle with an X. He looks at her for a moment to which she answered by averting her gaze. He orders his files real quick and looks them all over. She takes a good look at him; he looks like he has seen some major action. A scar goes down his forehead, over his left eye, and across his cheek. His left eye itself is white showing that he is blind in it. He closes the folder and looks them all over. "My name is Commander Cole Franco. I am in charge of this base and her personal. You are the first soldiers in a long list of possible candidates who have been selected to join X-Com. Before we get started are their any questions?" Commander Cole says with a little stress. No one raises their hand. "Good. Okay X-Com is a top secret organization run by the United States government and ordered by the United Nations. Our mission is to intercept, destroy, and recover any and all alien artifacts and repel all incursions to our planet." His words send a wave of shock over them. _Did he say aliens? _She thought to herself with disbelief. "We understand that this may come as a bit of shock but trust me that will pass quickly. X-Com just came online last month and you are the first of our soldiers. You are the first squad of X-Battalion. Your extensive training as Special Forces operators makes you all very capable and deadly combatants. Now we don't know the extent of the alien threat but we have been having alien scouts running covert ops all over the Earth. Our scientists believe they are planning an invasion. It is our job to stop them. Congratulations on being selected." He nods to Colonel James and he nods back. As Commander Cole gets up Colonel James snaps to attention.

"Room, ten-hut!" He shouts as the Commander leaves. The Colonel waits until Commander Cole has left before continuing. "At ease." The soldiers all go at ease, moving their right leg 12 inches out and putting their hands together in the small of their back. "You will all find your things in squad bay one. Get some sleep; I know you have all had a long journey. Carry on." He ends his little speech as he walks out of the room.

In squad bay one, Evelyn unpacks her belongings and prepares for a long stay. She was tired but she could not fall asleep. Too much was on her mind. When her CO told her she was selected for greater opportunity then Marine Recon she jumped at it. All her life she was told what she couldn't do, so she joined the United States Marine Corps to prove them wrong. She then took it further by joining Marine Recon. The toughest unit in the Marine Corps, but now she was here, whatever that meant. The squad bay was relatively large for such a small group of people, with white floors and blue walls with a sterile smell in the air. The other seven people in her unit remain quite as the grave while they continue to unpack. She was tired of the silence, if she was going to be working with them she wanted to know who they were.

"Hey I just wanted to know if we could all introduce ourselves so we know each other better. Since were going to be saving the Earth and all. My name is Evelyn Bradley and I am in the United States Marine Corps Force Recon." Her words carry over the squad bay breaking the tension in the air. She then took off her dress coat and hung it up. The men in the squad bay were offset by her appearance. She had the body of model, her black skin made her appear like an Egyptian goddess with her long black hair up in a bun. One of the guys decides to go along with the whole get to know each other routine. His skin was white and he had blonde hair.

"Okay then. My name is Sergeant First Class Tom King, but I prefer Tommy. Oh and I am Army Green Berets." Says Tom as he folds his uniform perfectly. Another one gets up.

"Name's Spencer McNeil. I'm a Sergeant in the United States Army Rangers." Says Spencer as he rubs his head red head. His tan skin made him look exotic. Evelyn swears she heard someone whisper "Ginger." Another one of them got up. This one was handsome with dark skin and equally dark hair. He was strong and has clearly seen his fair share of combat.

"I'm not playing this game. Just call me Master Chief Dujardin." He lays back down on his bunk pulls out a Cigar from his bag. _Contraband_ in every sense of the word she thought. He ran it under his nose before lighting it. Taking a deep breath he exhales a puff of smoke with a growing smile on his chiseled jaw. "Nothing like a Cuban." Evelyn rolled her eyes as woman got up, she was beautiful with oriental features.

"I'm Sumie Fujimoto, Sergeant Second Class, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force 1st Airborne Brigade." Her words were so soft and calming, but Evelyn knew she must have been tough as nails to be in that elite brigade. She coughs from the smoke building in the squad bay. She glares at Dujardin with her narrow eyes while pointing to the no smoking sign. He looks over at the sign and grins.

"Fine." He says as he snuffs it out on the floor, leaving a big burn mark. From the back of the room came a large woman who was built like a Russian body builder and for good reason.

"Me Meranda Yamanaka, Praporshchik in Russian Ground Forces Spetsnaz." Her words carried a heavy Russian accent. Clearly English was not her first language. Her muscles looked bigger then Dujardin as well. Her tan skin and brown hair made Evelyn wonder which part of Russia she was from. These thoughts pass quickly however as a short, fit woman with brown hair gets up for her "turn" at the, introduce yourself routine.

"Staff Sergeant Sylvie Marcelle, British Royal Army SAS." Her words carried a hint of a suppressed British accent. She caught the eyes of a couple of the guys as she sat back down. Evelyn grabbed her copy of the Art of War as the last person in their squad rose from her bunk. She was built like Meranda but a little less bulky. Her skin was as black as her own but her dark heir was a lot shorter.

"My name is First Lieutenant Sarah Croft, United Stated Army Delta Force." Her words felt as if she was trying to take command then and there. She too sat down as silence descended over the room. Evelyn just took it all in for a moment. _Wow… _She thought to herself. _Elite Special forces from all over the world…_ Suddenly Colonel James walks in catching her eye.

"Room ten-hut!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. Everyone dropped what they were doing and snapped to attention.

"Listen up. You are all now X-Com soldiers. Think of it as a whole separate branch from your respective militaries. Any rank you had before has been removed. You are now all Rookies in X-Battalion of the UN's personal pet project. You will be issued your battle dress uniforms tomorrow. Its lights out, get some rest." Orders Colonel James has he flips off the light switch on the way out. All eight of them stop unpacking and slip into their bunks. Evelyn closes her eyes and starts to wonder what she got herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**First Contact **

**22:09 Hours, January 12, 1999 (Military Calendar)/X-COM Skyranger-1, Location Spain, 40 Miles south west of Madrid, Mission #001.**

Evelyn sat in one of the two rows of chairs that run along the length of either side of the Skyranger. She sat two chairs in and was the third closest to the door. She looked at the rest of her squad as the Skyranger shook violently as it descended towards the alien space craft. Long range scanners picked up an alien space craft that landed in Spain. They were dispatched immediately. They were all nervous because if it was not shot down that only meant one thing for them, more aliens. Spencer sat on her right, next to the door that would soon be dropping like a Higgins boat on D-Day. It was nerve racking as the wait continued. She looked over to the back of the aircraft to see Sarah who had the Rocket Launcher or RL. Meranda sat across from her holding the Heavy Cannon or HC. The weapon made the Russian woman look even more imposing then normal. Everyone else opted for the Rifle and a couple fragmentation grenades with a single extra ammo clip for everyone. She looked at all their battle dress uniforms or BDUs. They all wore gray fatigues with combat boot. But they had no helmets, gloves, or body armor. _This is crazy! For a supposedly well funded organization, X-Com has done a very poor job of equipping us. _Frustrations aside she was still nervous as ever. What did the aliens use as weapons? How many were their? Could they be walking into a trap? All these questions would soon be answered. The pilot got on the radio.

"_Skyranger-1 will be hitting the LZ in one minute Squad Leader._" Says the pilot as the Skyranger started to rock. Sarah stood up with her RL cradled in her arms with three rockets stuffed into her rucksack.

"Okay team this is it! Get hot." Shouts Sarah with gusto. Evelyn looked at her with respect. The second day at Fort Halo, Colonel James selected her as Squad Leader because of her officer status pre-X-Com. Even though she was still a Rookie like the rest of them, she was their commander and her orders were the Colonel's orders. They all stood up and faced the door as the Skyranger's landing gear touched the ground. The ramp slowly opened into the cold chilly night air of a small Spanish farm. The mission has begun.

**00:00:15 (Spencer McNeil Mission Clock)/Spanish Farm**

Spencer slowly moves out of the Skyranger as point man, the most unwanted job in any military. He reaches the bottom of the ramp and slowly scans the darkness. In front of them was a dirt field with lines from plowing. He knelt down on one knee and lifted his hand up. He slowly gave the all clear signal. Louis follows next as his dark figure jumps off the side of the ramp and goes right. He spots an enemy hostile, from the files that the Colonel has shown them, he knew it was Sectoid. It's big round head, bug like eyes, and frail body made it one ugly mother fucker. The Sectoid was taking cover behind a wall of foliage that surrounded a very impressive garden. He fires a quick three shot burst at the alien with no luck. Two of his shots go into the wall of flowers while the third missed its head by mere inches. Tom rushes out and goes right, jumping off the ramp he lands next to Louis and fires a three shot burst as well. The rounds slam into the flower wall but one round hits the Sectoid in the chest. The alien screams in anger as it reacts and fires three green blobs of superheated plasma at the three soldiers. One flies past Louis's ear missing only by inches. His ear burned from the heat. The second round flew right between him and Tom, scorching both their arms. The last shot slams into Tom's chest with explosive results. The plasma burned through Tom's heart and dripped blood as carbonized bone became exposed. Tom slumped over in a smoldering heap. Louis watches as everything appeared to go in slow motion. The Sectoid lifted his rifle for another volley but from behind him came Evelyn who opened fire with a burst. They all miss say for the last one that hit the Sectoid between the eyes. The alien's head explodes with a purple mist. It falls over backwards tumbling down a hill.

"Tom is down." Says Evelyn trying to keep back the hint of horror. His chest was completely exposed as the round went right through him. His bones were charred and carbonized and his facial expression is one of sheer horror. Sumie leads the rest of the squad out of the Skyranger and moves into a semi circle formation around the ramp. The silence is broken by Plasma fire crackling on wood. Sarah goes northwest towards the sound and sees another Sectoid on the second floor of a barn. A large hole burned in the wall of the barn has exposed the alien's location.

"Another contact!" She shouts as Sumie comes up behind her and fires a burst at the second story hole. Her rounds fly into the top floor missing the target but one round smacks into the wall causing it to crumble. Meranda comes up behind her with her HC in hand and aims at the hole which is now much larger thanks to Sumie.

"I got it!" Shouts Meranda in a thick Russian accent as she fires two snap shots from the waist at the hole. The first round misses blowing a hole in the roof while the second one slams into the Sectoid's chest blowing its head and arm off at the same time. "Tango down Squad Leader."

"Understood." Replies Sarah as she holds her hand up. Everyone crouches down as she turns back to look at them. "Okay, Spencer, Sumie, and I will head northwest and check out the barn and the stables. Evelyn and Louis will head south and check out the fields. Meranda and Sylvie will watch our ride. Understood?" Her words felt heavier since Tom's gruesome death. They all nod in compliance and break up. Meranda and Sylvie take up positions on either side of the ramp while Evelyn and Louis head south slowly as each watches the others back. They come to a wheat field that was squared off by a rock wall. They slowly moved into the tall grass keeping their eyes peeled.

Sumie walks up and takes cover along the side of the barn. She is followed by Sarah and Spencer. She looks out from behind the corner and sees the doors to the barn. She looked down at the ground and followed the path with her eyes that went across the doors path. Along the path was a rock wall that was about waist high that ran the length of the front part of the barn. She comes out from behind the corner and moves up to the doors with Sarah and Spencer close behind. She peeks in as Sarah and Spencer continue down the path clearing the other side of the barn.

"Barn is clear." She says over the team COM.

"_Understood. Get out here, we are about to check the stables. Everyone keep sharp and alert. This darkness is making it hard to see anything._" Replies Sarah.

Evelyn and Louis come up to a cabbage patch after clearing the wheat field. They move forward through the cabbage patch until they come up to a wooden fence that makes an L with the bottom facing right and the top facing forward. Where the two parts of the fence meet was gate which they enter slowly. Suddenly two balls of plasma land a few feet from their position melting the dirt. Louis moves forward and finds the aliens ship. It was a medium sized ship and was easily larger then a scout ship. He crouched next to it and looked into the darkness around the corner of the ship's hull. Evelyn ran up next to him and blind fired a burst into the darkness. The two crouched down as a Sectoid jumped out from behind the corner and fired a quick burst at them. Two shots flew between them slamming into the earth leaving a glassy gloss. The third round flew over their heads making the air crackle and blew a tree in half. Evelyn quickly reacts and fires a snap shot from the waist but missed the alien. The Sectoid retreats back around the corner of the hull.

"I got him!" Shouts Louis as he moves following the alien around the corner.

"Louis wait!" Shouts Evelyn. Louis runs around the corner to find two Sectoids, the one that fired at him to his 12'o clock leaning against the craft's hull and the new one that was to his 3'o clock a little farther off on a hill. He brings his rifle to bear and fires a burst at point blank on the first Sectoid. He peppers its body with bullets and it falls over in a heap. The second Sectoid reacts to its buddy's death and fires a round from the crest of the hill. The shot slams into Louis's side and he slams against the hull of the ship with a loud metallic ping. Evelyn comes around the corner and fires a snap shot from the waist. The Sectoid fires a quick burst as it begins to panic. The rounds land all around the two soldiers but none come close to harming them.

"You son of a bitch!" Shouts Louis as she pushes himself off the wall and charges forward, he brings his rifle up and fires a snap shot that slams into the aliens chest. It roars in pain. Evelyn runs next to Louis and opens fire again this time scoring a hit. The alien now has two bleeding wounds. It fires back one more time but misses, it is answered by Louis who fires and hits the alien between the eyes. It falls over dead.

"I am wounded." Says Louis as he lifts his hand off of his side revealing charred skin and carbonized bone.

"You have a fatal wound." Says Evelyn as she investigates the wound. "We need to get you out of here before this gets worse." She says as she tries to help him. He pushes her away.

"I will be fine until we complete the mission. Let's go." He replies as they move around to the entrance of the ship.

**00:16:46 (Sarah Croft Mission Clock)/Spanish Farm**

Sarah moves along the wooden fence with her RL at the ready with Sumie and Spencer close behind her. Suddenly a Sectoid jumps out from behind one of the stables and opens fire. Three shots zoom past her head with a loud crackle. Sarah quickly ducks after they pass over. The Sectoid runs behind the stable for cover. She lifts her Rocket Launcher and aims it at a spot just behind the wall. She opens fire and the rocket shoots out with incredible speed. It smacks into the ground and explodes with destructive force killing the lonely Sectoid. She drops the RL and quickly slides another rocket into the Launcher as Evelyn comes on the COM.

"_Squad Leader this is Evelyn, we found the alien craft and Louis has been hit_." Her words send daggers through Sarah's heart.

"What is Louis's condition?" Replies Sarah hesitantly.

"_He is wounded but still functional. Were about to-_" She is cut off as static takes over.

"Evelyn? Evelyn! Louis! Damn it! We need to finish clearing these stables. God Evelyn I hope your okay."

**00:19:12 (Evelyn Bradley Mission Clock)/Spanish Farm**

Evelyn crouches down as another Sectoid comes out of the ship and fires two shots at them. Both missing with the second one coming a little too close. Luis fires back with two shots from his rifle but the Sectoid runs back inside as the bullets ping off the hull. Louis chases after the Sectoid. He opens the ship's door and comes face to face with the Sectoid. He fires at point blank and shoots it in the gut with explosive results. The alien slumps backwards into a heap. He then moves inside slowly with his gun at the ready. The pain in his side was becoming unbearable but his SEAL training taught him to ignore such pain. The inside of the ship was shaped like a diamond. The main hall which he entered split off into two hallways that went north and south. He moves up a few more steps just as Evelyn enters the ship. Louis looks up the north hallway and sees another Sectoid aiming its plasma rifle at him. He quickly fires a burst and peppers the alien from head to toe with his bullets. It falls over dead. Evelyn snapped her fingers while still aiming down the hall. Louis looked at her as she made a few hand gestures. He nods and moves up the north hall while she takes the south hall. She reaches the door and opens it to find nothing. Louis moves down the hall slowly with his gun ready when suddenly the door to his hall opens and a black bomb flies out. The whole hall explodes as the alien fired a stun bomb from some sort of launcher. Louis looks around dizzy than falls to the floor unconscious.

"Louis!" Shouts Evelyn as she runs down her hall and up the north hall. She finds Louis is still alive. She quickly goes to the door and opens it with her gun at the ready. She meets a Sectoid face to face which she then peppers with her rifle. The alien falls over dead. She slowly moves into what looks like the command bridge of the alien craft. It was empty. She sees a door near the back of the bridge and moves up to open it. The doors slides up to reveal a pillar of pulsating light that made the room feel somewhat lighter. She quickly scanned the inside and found it empty. She heads back onto the bridge and in the corner of her eye she sees an alien cowering in the shadows. She aims her rifle and fires a three shot burst. The first one hits home while the other two bounced off the walls. The alien collapsed but it was not dead, just unconscious. She quickly surveys the area and determined it secure.

"Squad Leader this is Evelyn. Ship secure all hostiles have been eliminated." She says fast when she realizes that she was holding her breath. She gasps as she slowly starts to breath again.

"_Understood. Good job. The farm is secure as well._" Replies Sarah.

"Squad Leader I have one survivor. It's wounded. What our orders?" Evelyn waits for a response as she slings her rifle and pulls out her pistol.

"_We are not taking prisoners today._" Replies Sarah with a cold tone.

"Understood." Evelyn aimed her pistol and fired three shots into the aliens head covering her in the purple blood. She than ran out the door and into the hall to find Louis still on the ground. She rolled him over and surveyed his wounds. It was bad. His wound was bleeding and he hit his head when he was knocked out.

"Good job Louis." She says as she begins treatment.

Author's notes: I have taken certain creative freedoms with this story. One of those is the obvious fact that women serving in combat roles are not as taboo as it would be here. Another would be the use of certain units mentioned. Also all the battlescape missions are all pulled from actual game play with no saves. This serves as a great way for me to see drama and write my story around it. Lastly I must apologize for the long absence. I have been at Marine Corps Boot Camp for the last three months and have been unable to upload any of the other 7 chapters I have written. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Farewell to a Friend **

**17:00 Hours, January 13, 1999 (Military Calendar)/ Fort Halo, Location Sicily.**

Evelyn stood at attention with the rest of her squad in their brand new black dress blues. Considering everything they lacked at the moment, she did admit that X-Com had a very attractive uniform. She stood tall and straight with Sumie at her left and Spencer to her right. They made a perfect line as a casket lay in the middle of the hanger. The casket was made of Italian oak and had a long black flag strewn across it with a yellow X in the middle. On the left corner of the flag was the red white and blue of the American flag sewn right on to the X-Com flag. Colonel James then marched out front of Alpha squad, each move, each face was crisp and cracked with the sound of thunder. He stopped when he was centered just in front of them. Than a squad USMC marine honor guards pick up the casket and carry it aboard the Skyranger. Colonel James then stands rigid and shouts.

"Squad, ten-hut!" They all stand straighter. "Present arms!" The Colonels words were electric as the whole squad saluted their fallen comrade. Two of the marines then take the X-Com flag and fold it tightly. They then take an American flag and strew it across the casket. So to keep the secrecy of the organization. The Colonel then tensed up. "Order arms!" He shouts with passion. The whole squad brings their hand down in perfect unison. _Good bye Tom. Sorry I did not know you as well as I could have. Maybe its better that I didn't. _Evelyn's thoughts slowly go numb as the Skyranger takes off and flies out of the roof hatch. The Colonel then pulls an about face.

"Squad listen up!" He shouts as a man wearing an X-Com dress uniform walks out holding a box. "Sarah Croft!" He shouts.

"Yes sir!" She replies as she falls out and marches just as crisply as the Colonel did a moment ago.

"Due to your excellent leadership, you have been promoted to the rank of Sergeant. Congratulations." Colonel James hands her the chevrons. Sarah nodded even though she did not agree. She did not deserve this promotion. One of her soldiers died and the other is out of action for a month. _Get well soon Louis_. She thinks to herself as she returns to the formation.

"The following have been promoted to the rank of Squaddie. When your name is called please come grab your chevrons. Meranda, Evelyn, and Louis who could not be here today because of his wounds." He finishes as Meranda and Evelyn accept their ranks. They fall back in line and are dismissed. Evelyn looks at her new ranks before leaving the hanger. She has had enough mourning for one day. Sarah waited till the hanger was clear before she went up to the Colonel.

"Colonel. I don't feel like I deserve this sir, one of my men is dead and the other is in critical condition. You should pick someone else." She says while offering him the ranks, he looks at them then gestures her to follow him.

"Listen, the hardest part of command is losing soldiers. You will lose people as a commander and it will hurt. But you must remember that the mission comes first and that your may and will have to spend the lives of your men to achieve the mission. But never ever waste their lives. So the decision that you must make is weather you are wasting your men's lives or spending them. Sleep well Sergeant." The Colonel says with a weak smile. Sarah was stunned but quickly said.

"Yes sir!" She now suffered in her own mind wondering if Tom's life was spent or wasted. _How many more lives must I spend?_


End file.
